Familial Ties
by wolfdream
Summary: What if Robin and Regina were closer than anyone knew, or even now remembered? What if it led to an interesting result? And as they say 'Magic always comes with a price.' But will the price now be too high for Regina to pay? Slow Regina/Robin relationship and Regina/Emma friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**Familial Ties**

*What if Robin and Regina were closer than anyone knew, or even now remembered? What if it led to an interesting result? And as they always say 'Magic comes with a price.' But will the price now be too high for Regina to pay? Slow Regina/Robin relationship, and Regina/Emma friendship.

Disclaimer: OUaT not owned by me. *crys*

AN: Starts during the middle of 3.13: Witch Hunt, and will go AU as I weave the story. Will be like the show and jump back and forth between Enchanted Forest and Storybrook at least. I know a few basics I want to cover but else I'm winging it as this chapter wouldn't leave me alone. If there is anything you'd like to see leave it in a review and I'll see if it would fit into this story. Sorry for any errors. No beta for this, and I'm a horrible fan of commas : )

[Also I do plan to get back to my R&amp;I story someday, but school has kept me from it for far too long, and now this idea has overcome my writer's block so want to at least get the idea started. I have that outlined for a lot more to happen…someday.]

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Regina listened from the back of the room as those around her started to question who cast this new curse, and it didn't take long for fingers to start pointing her way. She knew to expect something from the annoying dwarf as he loved to point fingers and run around yelling that the sky was falling. She tried not to sneer at him as she still held out a little hope that not everyone was against her. The quack surgeon-slash-monster-maker was also no surprise or the cross-bow slinging wolf, but she was a bit saddened by the fact that Belle was even against her. The woman who could find the good even in the Dark One, couldn't seem to see the shred of humanity in the Evil Queen. None of the imbeciles even believed the truth when she mentioned she'd have her son if she had placed this curse. She cringed at the angry words spoken by the Savior even though she knew they were part of this well-timed ruse. That was the only thing she feared was never being near her son again. The mob could come for her all they wanted, but her son and his other mother were the ones who held the power her hurt her the most, as well as soothe the ache in her soul.

Emma was right though, Regina hated to admit. This was a good way to get the real curse wielder to step forward, but she didn't expect it to hurt as much as it did. So she did what she was good at and pulled the mantle of the Evil Queen around herself. "If you all want me to be the Evil Queen, then fine, that's exactly who you'll get." Regina pulled the magic forth as she raised her hands in front of her dramatically. She knew she didn't need the show, but she used to so enjoy the look of fear that passed over the peasants' and even the royals' faces before she even cast a spell. Now those shocked, scared looks just sent a pang of sadness through her blackened heart. But if they wanted the Evil Queen, she would give them the works: the snide remarks, the showy over the top gestures, and the bit of magic to seal the deal. She knew the only thing missing was the tight, dark dresses that she used to wear. She pushed her palms out quickly and sent out her magic in such a way as to give the old building a good shaking up; however she felt that something was wrong the moment she cast the spell.

Emma Swam watched in fascination as Regina pulled the mask of the Evil Queen on. She watched as Regina's posture got even straighter which Emma didn't know beforehand was possible. She watched the brunette egg on the crowd and was mentally cheering on the woman's acting skills while at the same time feeling sorry for the harsh words that were not only coming from those surrounding her, but from her own mouth as well. Emma could see behind the lie, as she could with anyone, and saw the miniscule flinch on Regina's face as the people's 'facts' bombarded her. She braced herself for whatever bit of magic that she knew the woman was going to perform, and was confused for a moment when the only thing that happen was the rattling of the overhead lights and the water pitchers that were behind her blew up. She looked confused toward Regina and expected her to poof away in her usual cloud of purple smoke, but all she saw was the pale face in front of her as Regina closed her eyes and slumped to the ground.

Emma's first thought was 'She can even faint gracefully,' while her second one of 'Oh Shit!' got her moving toward the prone figure. "Regina," Emma yelled as she raced down the aisle between the rows of chairs. She ignored the people sitting in them as she focused on the fallen woman. She didn't think about the fact that the change from angry Savior, to this concerned almost-friend was confusing to those in attendance and was ruining all of Regina's hard work at alienating herself from the mob. If asked later Emma would say she did it for Henry, as he would be so angry with her if she let anything happen to his other mother while he couldn't remember her, but she was truly worried as she had never seen any weakness in Regina before that did not revolve around Henry.

She dropped to her knees while still moving forward, and so she slid into the brunette. Emma waited for the scathing remark about her lack of grace and to get them both off the floor. Her worry sky-rocketed when no words came out of Regina's mouth. She at least breathed a short sigh of relief as she noticed the rise and fall of the brunette's chest. She looked around the room then to see only shocked looks gazing at the pair, but no one moved to help, not even the so-called doctor and her anger at those around her blazed through her.

Her gaze finally fell on a face in the front row who she knew would help her and so she yelled to him, "David, help me."

Emma's father didn't want to go anywhere near the fallen Queen, but he couldn't help the call for help from his daughter. He thought it was worse than the Siren's song he had dealt with in his past. He would do anything for his girl, especially when she turned those pleading eyes on him. He stood up and walked quickly toward the pair, and then gently knelt and picked Regina up. She felt smaller and lighter than he would have expected. Granted the lack of the elaborate dresses helped he knew, heck those dresses alone probably weighed more than Regina, but when she stood up to people she always seemed larger-than-life. Looking down at her closed eyes, and pale face he just saw the women who raised his grandson to be a kind boy, and the woman whom his daughter wanted him to help.

Mary Margaret knew she needed to help too as it was the right thing to do, and her mother, Eva, had always tried to drill that into her head about being good and kind to everyone. For awhile her step-mother had even been the same, before she started to actively try and have her taken out of the picture. She got her keys out of her purse as she all but waddled to the back of the room where the trio was now getting to their feet,_ all but Regina_ she thought as a bit of fear clutched at her heart for the step-mother who did try to love her at one time. The baby kicked her hard as if feeling her own worry and wanting to add it's two feet worth to her thoughts. "I'll get the car," she said as she walked toward the exit. She knew her family would soon follow, and they would take Regina to some doctor who might actually give a damn about that Oath they magically swore to help and not harm people.

* * *

The reunited family sat in the waiting room. Emma was about to pull her hair out as her patience was wearing thin, and the worry was eating away at the pit of her stomach. Despite that she heard a light growl emit from her stomach and she gazed at the clock on the wall. No wonder she was hungry as she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast with Henry. _Crap, Henry. _She pulled out her phone and dialed the number by recovered memory. "Hey Ruby, it's Emma. Can I get you to watch Henry a bit longer."

"Don't worry, Em. Granny told me all about you freaking out at the town meeting, and Regina fainting and everything." There was a slight pause before Ruby asked more sedately, "Is she alright?"

Emma was touched at the real worry she heard from her friend. She knew Ruby really wanted to know to ease her mind, and not just to have the latest gossip for the dinner rush. "No clue, we haven't heard anything…" She was about to finish the sentence when a female doctor walked into the waiting room and then toward the trio. "Can't talk now…gotta go…bye." Emma didn't let Ruby say anything in response and just hung up her phone quickly as she stood up to meet the doctor.

"Hello. I'm Dr. Parsons."

Snow looked up at the doctor. The name sounded so familiar, but she couldn't place how she knew it.

"Emma can I talk with you in hall please?" The older woman asked. Her voice was gentle as Emma assumed it probably was with most patients and their families. And with both being Henry's mother, even if the boy didn't know, Regina was indeed family in Emma's eyes.

"Oh God…It's bad isn't it?" Emma blew out a nervous breath and her right hand came up to drag through her tangled hair, "I knew it…it's bad." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her father stand up on her left and squeeze her shoulder in comfort, and her mother grabbed at the left hand and held it. They seemed to be trying to hold their daughter together by force of will.

"Not as bad as your thinking I can assure you, but you are Regina's next of kin as she has no one else and so I would like to keep this between us for now."

Emma was floored at the doctor's response. She didn't fail to catch the fact that something wasn't great with Regina, and she was stunned even more by the fact that she was the next of kin for Regina. She knew Henry couldn't do it as he didn't even know his mom, but for the month that the fairytale characters had been back in Storybrook, why wouldn't Regina have picked someone other than Henry's other mom to play the role. The truth hit her hard. Without Henry, Regina had no one. She numbly started walking toward the waiting room door.

Emma rounded on the doctor as soon as they were in the hall. "Well? What's wrong with her?"

Seeing that no prying ears were around the doctor started her explanation. "As she was unconscious when you brought her in, the ER doctor couldn't very well ask her what was wrong. They ran a blood panel, put her on some fluids as she looked a little dehydrated, and did a cursory exam in order to check that there were no wounds or bumps and bruises. They didn't find anything physically wrong, so they could only wait for the blood test to come back." The blond woman in front of her looked like she was about to jump out of her skin waiting for an answer, so she dropped the bomb. "I was called in when they got the results as her hCG level was elevated."

That answer did nothing to ease Emma's mind and only worried her more that a specialist had to be called in on Regina's case, "what the hell does that mean? Is it cancer? ….Is she dying?"

The doctor didn't know whether to laugh or go on with the explanation, but the real fear in the Savior's eyes had her quickly explaining. "Human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, is a hormone that is produced during pregnancy." She saw the stunned look on Emma's face and added trying to lighten the mood, "it was less complicated telling when someone was pregnant in the Enchanted Forest when I was a Midwife, but these modern tests are splendid."

Emma's eyes looked away from doctor's face and then noticed the name on the white coat she wore over her hospital scrubs, and the letters that spelled out what was in front of her face more than the words she had heard: OB/GYN. "Are you my mother's doctor too?" She didn't know why this question was the first to come from her mouth, but she guessed it was because it was easier than wrapping her head around the fact that the mother of her child was with child. The whole situation was more confusing than their family tree, and that was saying something.

"No, that would be my partner. I deal with the high-risk pregnancies."

Emma's eyes shot back to the doctor's, "why is she high-risk?" The fear was again beating down the confusion.

"With the hCG levels, it looks like Regina is about a month along…but after doing an ultrasound it looks like the fetus is smaller than that." The doctor liked to stick with facts over gossip but she thought Emma needed to know, "It doesn't seem like Regina has been taking care of herself since we all returned to Storybrook. She weighs less than she did during her last physical," she didn't mention that the test was over 3 years ago, before the curse was broken. Rosemary wondered her patient feared she wouldn't be treated once she was outed as the Evil Queen. Sadly, she knew that was the case with too many of the doctors in the hospital, but there were a handful that were grateful for all the curse did for them even if they wouldn't admit it to the mob against her. She sighed in regret at her ability to stand against the majority too and continued. "She doesn't leave her house all that often. I have seen her at Granny's a couple of times, but she didn't stay very long due to the whispers and stares... not long enough to eat enough for herself, let alone for herself and the child she is carrying. I'm worried about both my patients if Regina doesn't start taking better care of herself…"

"Don't worry about that. I'll make sure she does that." Emma didn't know why she made that promise, nor did she know how she would go about keeping it at this point, but she knew she would do whatever she needed to in order to keep Henry's mother and his unborn sibling alive and well. And she mused that no matter how much she got one Regina's nerves, she did have one thing going for her…her heart would stay safely in her chest where it belonged.

The doctor smiled at the woman in front of her. Glad to finally see someone standing with Regina in order to help her out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Familial Ties**

AN: Warning for some serious issues foreshadowed (but is it still really foreshadowing when hinting at the past? lol) And thank you so much for all those who followed, favored, and reviewed, as you really made my week, which is why I was bad about hmwk and got this out before Sat :-)

**Chapter 2**

Regina woke in unfamiliar surroundings. She was first clued in to this fact due to the thin plastic mattress, and the even thinner, scratchy sheets that were pinning her to that mattress. It was very different from the pillow top queen bed and luxurious satin sheets that were in the master bedroom at home. The smells were the next thing that she noticed and were nearly overwhelming. A harsh smell of cleaning products over a lingering odor of illness was mingled with the smell of over boiled cabbage. She wrinkled her nose and opened her eyes to see what hell hole she had landed in. She first saw a blinding fluorescent overhead light. She blinked away the spots that seared onto her retinas, and when her eyes finally cleared she gazed around more. She saw and then felt the needle that was in the back of her hand, and she followed the tubing up to see it connected to a hanging bag of clear fluid. Looking down, she cringed at her attire. The flimsy cotton gown that tied in the back was demeaning, and she pondered for a moment wondering who had changed her. She scowled, thinking that they better not have cut the designer dress she remembered wearing earlier. She saw a device near her hand, but she assumed if she pushed that button for help, most hearing it would just cross their fingers and pray for the Evil Queen's demise.

As her eyes focused in front of her, she saw where the horrible food smell was coming from – a tray of bland looking congealing masses sat on the small wheeled table beside her bed. She mused that not even she was that cruel to feed this slop to those in her dungeon. Not wanting to even try and figure out what was on the tray, but feeling hungry, Regina grabbed the roll. She ripped off a small piece and tentatively placed it in her mouth. She was surprised at how soft the roll was until she thought of those in the hospital who could only now gum their food. Finishing the roll, she looked to the one redeeming item on the tray - a small cup of juice, and she smiled seeing that it was apple. She planned to drink it like she was taught during her afternoon teas with her mother, but she was too parched to sip it slowly like a lady. Regina heard someone at the doorway clear their throat and she glanced up to see Emma Swan.

Emma gave a small smile, "Uh…hi." She shifted slightly on her feet and nervously shoved her hands into her jean pockets. "How are you feeling?"

Regina placed the glass back down and folded her arms over her chest. Not having her usual impeccably picked out armor, this at least gave her a little feel of protection; even though a small part of her wondered if she really needed protected from the woman in front of her, but it was too ingrained in her not to be cautious anymore. "Are you going to come in? Or are you just planning on exchanging pleasantries from the doorway?"

Emma walked across the room, sat down, and tried to figure out how to talk to Regina about what was going on.

Regina watched as the blond nibbled on her bottom lip, wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans, and shifted in her seat, all while remaining mute. She decided to put Emma, and in turn herself, out of their misery. At least she was nicer about it than she would have been to others in the past. It now just involved a verbal lashing, and not the semi-quick, not too painless death that might have even included a physical lashing beforehand. "So how did I end up here?"

Glad for at least somewhere to start, Emma answered, "you passed out."

Not liking the explanation Regina countered, "No, I momentarily lost consciousness."

"How is that any better?" Emma wryly shook her head.

Regina oddly for once didn't have her usually great comeback as her brain was still a little muzzled from sleep, so she was left with the tried and true method of belittling the woman's intelligence. "Anything is better with a higher than one-syllable vocabulary, dear."

"Yea, well…tough….I like _passed out_." Emma mentally counted in her head and realized that they were still all one syllable words, _Crap. _She saw the smirk on the brunette's face and knew Regina had done the same, _Double Crap._ She wondered how it was that even when on the same eye level from her seated position, Regina still managed to make it seem like she was looking down at you and about to squash you under foot like a bug.

Regina could see that Emma was holding back something, and getting annoyed with their usual banter, she finally puts her foot down, "Out with it, Miss Swan."

Not wanting to jump right in yell 'Surprise, you're pregnant,' Emma decided for some tack, or what counted as tack for her. "Is there a new man in your life?"

"The only man in my life is Hen…was Henry?" Regina swallowed back her emotions at that statement, and hid the hurt behind her sarcasm, "Why the sudden interest in my love life Miss Swan, thinking of batting for the other team?" She raised an eyebrow in question.

Emma quipped back as it was easier than just telling Regina the truth, "Oh if I planned on doing that, you'd know it." She mentally smacked herself in the forehead as she couldn't believe she just implied what she did, and hoped against hope that Regina didn't catch it.

"Who's to say you're in my league, Dear," Regina said as she ran a suggestive look down the blonde's body in order to throw the other women off. Silence descended on the pair, and they just stared at each other for a few minutes before she threw out in an annoyed tone, "Enough Miss Swan, why did you ask?" She could feel her heart rate increasing as she knew that Emma would only be asking for a reason, and since it was the first thing she said when Regina opened her eyes, other than annoying pleasantries, she knew it was important.

Knowing there was no easy way to say it, Emma cringed and just spit it out, "You're pregnant." At least it lacked the 'Surprise,' in the telling, but looking at Regina's face she knew that it was very much a surprise.

The words pierced into her brain, and Regina froze wondering how this was possible. While she understood how a child was created, there was no time period, at least that she could remember where that could have happened. She almost wished there would have been a drunken night in her recent past so she could write this down as the cause and so it would all somehow make sense; if not understandable for her usual behavior, at least it would help her know something other than the horrible gap in her life. Thinking of her usual behavior, especially from her life previously in the Enchanted Forest, she feared what could have happened over there. Her breath started coming out in shorter gasps as she pondered the situation. What did she do? Did she do something unthinkable for wanting a child in her life again? She had ruined one child thirty years ago from that desire…Would losing Henry, or even just returning to her old haunts cause her to revert to old ways? She was hyperventilating thinking of all the possibilities in the unknown year, and wanting to get away from the worried gaze of the woman next to her, she raised her closed right hand in front of her and tried to do a two part spell…tried being the operative word.

Emma was startled when the scared woman blinked out of existence in front of her. She berated herself for not seeing that coming. She wondered where Regina might have run to - her house being the first place she would look, the mayor's office second - when a commotion pulled her thoughts away from any other possible hiding places. Hearing a racket outside the tiny room, Emma hurried to the door to see what was going on. There across the brightly lit white corridor was a nearly frantic Regina.

This was the second time in as many hours that Regina had trouble with her magic. She landed outside her hospital room…far away from her bedroom at home where she had hoped to barricade herself from the public eye, and fall apart in private. At least the part of her spell to change out of the horrible hospital gown worked as she found herself in a pair of black slacks, a red silk shirt, and her usual tall black heels. The latter did nothing to help, as the magic seemed to drain her like never before, and she stumbled into a nearby tray of medical equipment and knocked it down to the ground around her. She cringed as it clattered to the floor, and all eyes in the hallway turned to look at the fallen queen. She was severely out of breath, and had a strong urge to lose the little she had eaten from what the hospital had termed lunch. She wanted to get up, to run away, but she knew she couldn't run from this truth…just from the people who looked at her like she was still the Evil Queen, and maybe she was. She was starting to understand a bit more about the helplessness she had made the entire town feel when they had no clue who they were. She didn't like these thoughts and feelings at all: the added guilt, or the unknown. Her thoughts were pulled back when she saw Emma come out of the room across the hall, and even though she hated needing the help, Regina was grateful to see the blond hurry over to help… no one else was.

Emma approached slowly, as if fearing the cornered animal might bite the hand that tried to help, bolt for safety, or a combination thereof. But as soon as she helped the woman stand and walk back toward her hospital room, Emma knew she was just happy to be led away from the prying eyes. Emma was worried about the amount of support she had to provide as the two shuffled back into the small room. She helped Regina back to the bed and tried to say something witty to make the brunette smile, or at least pull her away from the bleak thoughts that she could see were eating the woman up. "Well, this kid likes you doing magic about as much as Henry does…um, did? Man this is confusing…well at least I know you can't up and leave in the middle of a conversation for a while." From the glare she was now receiving, Emma knew it wasn't the best thing to say, but it did get Regina out of her own head for the moment; however, she watched as Regina almost literally erected a wall between the two of them. Emma tossed her hands up in surrender and turned around to go back to her chair, "okay, I was wrong."

Regina all but snarled like the caged animal Emma had compared her too earlier. "What does that mean?"

Emma gestured toward Regina with her right hand, "what you just did…that mask you throw on in order to try and protect yourself when you don't like how a conversation is going."

The pair just sat in silence again, and this time it was not the comfortable silence like it was earlier before Emma had dropped the bombshell on Regina. Regina just kept picking imaginary lint off of the sheet, and every once in a while she would gaze around the room as if to look for the nearest escape route. Emma wondered if she said too much, too abruptly. She worried how to salvage the situation, but luckily she was saved from having to do all the work as a light knock came at the open doorway. They both looked over at the noise, and saw a smiling doctor, "Hello, I'm Dr. Rosemary Parsons."

Regina saw the doctor and gave a light smile remembering the older woman. The doctor was one of the few people she had respected in the Enchanted Forest before she had cast the curse; therefore when she keyed her thoughts to changing everyone else, she had tried to spare Rosemary as much as possible. Regina was glad to see that her name and profession hadn't changed, even though her once jet black hair had grayed slightly at the temples since they had first met.

Dr. Parsons walked toward her patient and asked gently, "Did Emma inform you why you are here?" Seeing the pained look on the blonde's face, and the nervous one on Regina's as she asked the question, Rosemary had her answered, but she still waited for the small nod from the brunette before she went on. "I've been assigned as your doctor, Regina, as this pregnancy is high risk…You haven't been taking care of yourself." Rosemary watched as her patient cringed at the word pregnancy, and she worried how Regina would handle all of this.

Regina closed her eyes briefly and then locked eyes with the doctor, "there's more to that assessment than just diet isn't there Rosemary?" She asked, sadly remembered the time she had known her before in the Enchanted Forest.

The doctor also found herself remembering that harrowing time, and so didn't even realize the honorific she gave to the woman sitting in the bed, "Yes, your Majesty."

Regina just nodded. Too stunned with her past and future to be able to do much more.

Emma listened to the conversation for a few and then sat up straighter as she all but saw the tension that draped over the room. She looked between the two, and at their serious expressions she stated, "Why do I have the feeling I'm missing something here?"

Regina just turned her guarded gaze on the blond. "How very astute of you, Miss Swan."

Emma tried to continue, and ask what was going on, but the harsh word, "Enough!" stopped her. It was definitely a royal command.


	3. Chapter 3

**Familial Ties**

AN: Bumped up one rating for swearing. Will go higher again later on. Also this is a little longer than the other 2. There was no good place to break it up, and it makes up for the fact that I might be delayed in posting again until the semester ends in a few weeks.

**Chapter 3**

*Storybrook*

Regina was getting impatient as the day wore on, and by the time the dinner tray came she was thoroughly fed up. After a quick glance under the plastic dome keeping the food warm, she yelled at the back of the quickly retreating nurse's aide. "How do you expect me to eat well when all you serve is this slop?" She sat up in bed, and was about to grab the plate and hurl it at the door were the man had disappeared, but was stopped at the last moment as two figures came to the threshold.

"Damn, Regina, I could hear you all the way down the hall," the blond just stared at Regina, while the doctor beside her covered her mouth to hide the smile. They stepped toward the bed as if being in a pair would protect them from Regina's wrath. "So the Doc and I were talking…"

"Do not call her, the Doc, Miss Swan; I would hate to have the image of an annoying midget popping up all the time." But it was already too late, and Regina shuddered at the image of that dwarf anywhere near her at future check-ups, or even worse…the delivery.

Emma went on. "Riiiight, anyway, Doc Parsons…" she ignored the glare that was sent her way, "and I were thinking…" She also ignored the 'you..thinking' barb that was thrown her way. "Well she mentioned that you'd need someone to help you out for awhile." She left out that Rosemary really said that someone would need to check in on Regina, as knowing the woman would just find a way to barricade her house from intruders.

The doctor interrupted when Emma stayed silent for a few moments. "I'd be more comfortable, Regina, if I knew you had someone to help make sure you were doing all you need to in order to keep yourself and this child safe." Rosemary knew that while Regina might not care about her health, she would do all that she needed for her child's safety. "I'd suggest an in-home nurse come for a time, but as you want to keep this pregnancy a secret currently, then that option is out." She failed to mention that she knew all of the in-home nurses in Storybrook, and knew none of them would be willing to work for the Evil-Queen.

"Right, so here's the deal, Regina." Emma took over, "You can either stay in here for a few days, or let me help you for a time."

"You've got to be kidding me?"Regina looked between the two women in front of her. Emma standing firm: her arms folded over her chest, and her feet planted firmly shoulder width apart. Regina knew she would not budge well, either in the argument, or physically by that stance. She looked toward her doctor. Rosemary wasn't as rigid in her posture, but Regina could tell from the stern gaze she was receiving that it was another lost cause.

Emma could see that Regina was about to give in, and she gave a slight nudge to push Regina into letting Henry and herself stay at the mansion while thinking it was her own choice…plus it was just fun to push the brunette's buttons. "I'm sure staying with my parents would be fine, maybe a little cramped, but we can manage." Emma did not tell her that she and Henry had been staying at Granny's Bed and Breakfast since returning to town; with Regina's usual eyes and ears gone since the curse broke, she did not know everything about Storybrook's inhabitants anymore. Emma waited to see Regina freaking out about the idea of being around Snow White for any length of time, and especially not living with her and sharing a bathroom…she did not have to wait long.

Regina shook her head quickly at that suggestion, as if to ignore that thought as much as to let Emma know her answer, and she gave an emphatic, "NO…Never going to happen, Miss Swan."

"Well I guess you're stuck here then," Emma shrugged her shoulders, stuck her hands in her pockets, and rocked back on her heels a little, as if she was clueless about what to do from there.

Regina looked one more time toward Rosemary to see if she looked like she might be able to persuade her into changing her mind yet, but she noticed Rosemary was literally still standing firm against the fight she thought she'd have on her hands. Regina sighed as her fate was sealed: anything to get out of here…and to not have to deal with Snow. "I have spare rooms, Miss Swan."

* * *

Regina was finally released from the hospital within the hour, with a prescription for vitamins, a reminder slip for an appointment in two weeks, and a very long list of Do's and Don'ts - starting with 'relax and take it easy' and ending with 'DO NOT USE MAGIC' in bold print. Right, as those were so easy to do when the mob still wanted her blood, and there was a witch out there who wanted who knew what. She looked up when a wheelchair was rolled into her room. She stood up, brushed off the front of her outfit, and started toward the door. When she was almost to the wheelchair she pointed at it firmly, "That is so not going to happen."

The aide started to say "it's hospital policy" but he froze when Regina's harsh gaze shifted from the chair to his acne covered face, "ne..nevermind."

Regina just strutted past him, "That's very wise of you." She just wanted out of the room, out of the hospital, and even out of the nightmare she had woken up to not even eight hours ago. She sped out of the room, and started down the too bright hallway.

Emma had been standing at the nurses' counter, making sure she had all the instructions on how to help Regina for the next few days, and making sure all the paperwork was finished to spring her from this place. She saw a blur out of the corner of her eye, and looked over to see Regina all but sprinting down the corridor. Emma grabbed up the papers in front of her about after-care, and raced after the brunette. "Regina…hold up."

Regina heard the shout behind her, and while she didn't stop, she did slow her pace just enough so the blond could quickly catch up. The pair walked through the front doors of the hospital and Regina was finally able to take a deep breath that did not curl her toes. She started toward the parking lot ahead of Emma, and bumped into someone walking quickly the other way. Being in a bad mood already she couldn't help but verbally attack, "Watch where you're going you…" She turned around to look the offender in the face when she called them an incompetent fool, and found herself facing a good looking man, but what really drew her attention was the small child all but cowering in his arms.

Robin had been rushing toward the hospital. The one good thing he was told about this new land was that many of the illnesses from home weren't as deadly with the help of medical care, and he hoped to be shown the truth in that. His son had come down with a horrible fever the night before. He had been by Roland's side all day, using wet clothes to try and bring down his temperature. When he went to get something for his ill son to eat at Granny's, the waitress gave him not only the soup he had ordered, but also a fizzy drink that had helped calm Roland's stomach a little bit. But when the fever and vomiting got worse an hour ago, he had been frantic until he was pointed in the direction of the hospital. He bundled up his shivering son, and raced toward the big building.

He was looking down at the precious cargo in his arms and not looking forward as he rushed toward the door, causing him to bump into someone. He was about to apologize, when he heard a woman's voice berating him for his actions. He didn't know what to think when he first saw her. She was beautiful that was for certain, but he knew from hunting in the woods that many of the most beautiful things were also the most deadly…and he knew that was also true for the woman standing regally in front of him. He again was about to open his mouth and apologize when he heard a small voice.

"Daddy, why are you talking to the scary Queen."

Regina froze at the words from the child. _Out of the mouth of babes_… She remembered her son being that young, where he would say anything that he thought or felt without the understanding of how those words could hurt. Henry had learned for awhile, but he seemed to forget when he got that blasted book and figured out who his mother really was. The words hurt, even when they weren't spoken by her son.

Robin looked down at his son and so missed the pained look on Regina's face as she overheard the words. He was worried about his son's reactions too. For some reason, when they ended up in this new place, and Roland had somehow learned there was an Evil Queen in town, he had been having nightmare so bad at night that he would often wet the bed. Robin held on tightly with his left arm, so that he could reach up with his right and brush aside the lose locks that had fallen in Roland's eyes and smiled at his son. "We ran into each other," he looked up to Regina at this, "and I was just stopping to apologize." He gave her a polite nod.

Oddly, Regina found herself tongue tied, "Oh…right." She found herself wanting to reach out and hug the child tightly and make sure the obviously ill boy got better. She assumed that pull was just from her yearning to be Henry's mother again. Was she so desperate that she would take any substitute who crossed her path? She found herself whispering a quick, "sorry." Regina saw the tender gaze Robin gave his son again, and wondered why seeing that hurt. Maybe because she could only look at Henry like that…but not actually do anything. She was still pondering that when she heard Robin.

"Good night, Your Majesty."

Regina startled at those words. They sounded so familiar, both the voice and the words, but she couldn't image how that was the case as they had never spoken with each other…at least not that she knew of.

* * *

*Enchanted Forest*

The group had been walking for a little over a week. Everyone was tired of all the walking and from being on guard all the time for winged monkeys of all things. They had finally reached the palace, only to find that the barrier had somehow been turned against it's previous owner. The group had retreated to one of the many locations that Robin and his gang of Merry Men had occupied in the past, and that was how Regina found herself sitting gazing into a warm fire. She could feel many pairs of eyes watching her, and she had heard the whispers behind her back about how this was just one more thing that was somehow her fault…it was always her fault. She grew tired of holding her posture straight and her head high so that no one could see how she was hating and hurting from this whole thing: losing Henry on the top of the list, down to being the proverbial scape goat for all ills. She pushed her hands off of her thighs in order to help in her upward motion, and then she wandered away from the group. She didn't care where to as long as she got some peace.

She had walked for about twenty minutes when she heard the rustling of leaves behind her, and a few seconds later a twig crack under someone's, or something's, foot. She quickly pulled her hand out in front of her, palm upright, and tugged lightly at her magic in order to pull forth the desired fire ball. "Show yourself." Her voice was loud and strong…commanding as always. She almost groaned out loud when the figure stepped out into the light. As the sunlight was fading in the background, her magic helped her to make out all his rugged features, especially the unarming smile. She knew once she saw Robin that she had only heard the sounds of him approaching her because he had let her, he was much too good in the forest for those amateurish mistakes. "Robin." The word was so many things on her lips: his name, a greeting, and more than anything…a question of _Why the hell are you following me?_

"Regina." Robin mimicked.

Her name was similarly encased with a plethora of meaning, but more from what it was lacking, and that touched Regina. The queen part of her usual honorific she didn't mind so much, but she was so tired of the Evil being attached, especially in the last few weeks. She was oddly tongue tied around this man. She didn't know how to really interact with people that did not include verbal jabs and sneers, and she was curious why she was hesitant to show him that side of her. Before she could actually think of something to say, he went on.

"It was starting to get dark, and I worried you might get lost without a guide. So I came to offer my services," he gave a partial bow in jest.

"These were my lands before. I think I know my way around just fine," she snapped. There she was, the woman quick to temper, and who couldn't accept the idea that someone would truly mean it about wanting to help her.

"Ah, but the forest has changed much since you all left the Enchanted Forest. It continued to grow and thrive while the people just stopped." He saw that she was listening and seeing her mood start to darken just as the night sky above, he went on quickly hoping to lighten the mood. "Even I have gotten lost once…or twice in this new terrain," he added with a chuckle and a grin.

"You? You might want to keep that to yourself, else you might ruin your reputation."

Robin stepped closer to her, "Well I've only told you, and if you try to ruin my reputation I'll respond in kind."

Regina was about to take offense to that, but she noticed that his eyes were still twinkling in merriment. "Really? What could you possibly do or say that could make my reputation any darker than it already is?"

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "I do believe you are starting to smell like forest too, Your Majesty." His grin went wide at the faces Regina was too late to school from her face.

Regina felt the warm breath against her ear and shivered slightly. It was getting a little cooler with the sun setting, she reasoned. Then the words registered in her mind and she took a step back and stared at the amused face in front of her. She didn't know whether to be annoyed that he dared to tell her something like that, or lightly embarrassed that he had overheard the conversation with herself and Snow. She finally schooled her face into that of the queen of long ago…very long ago, as there was still a hint of life and mischief in her visage. A gust of air seemed to come out of nowhere, surrounding Regina and leaving her freshly clean, with a hint of sweet apples in the air.

Being so close to her, Robin felt the air cascading around Regina, and he took a long, deep breath in order to take in this new intoxicating fragrance. "I stand correct," Before he could say more, Regina waved her hand lazily, and this time the rush of wind pushed Robin off his feet.

Regina gave an amused smirk down at the man literally sprawled at her feet. She always did like it when her subjects groveled.

"Right then," Robin stared as he pushed himself off of the ground, "no standing involved…I was just wrong."

"At least you can be taught. I didn't know thieves could learn. There might be promise for you yet." She started to walk back in the direction of the camp, glad to get in the last word.

Robin watched Regina turn, and let her get a few steps away before he put in, "Oh we learn all kinds of things…like how to steal from Queens to give to the poor."

Regina turned around, stepped back toward him, and into his personal space as she was only a hands length from his chest. She regretted the fact that she had to change out of her heels, due to the hazardous terrain they had been travelling through, as it made her slightly shorter than Robin; however she made up for it in her ramrod posture, upturned nose (of course it had to be in order to stare at the man), and a piercing glare that made most grown men cower in their boots, if not actually wet themselves in fear. Regina didn't know whether to be impressed or annoyed that this rogue just looked down on her with a lopsided grin on his face. "Try it, I dare you." She started to walk away again; sure she finally had the last word.

Robin grabbed her hand as she tried to step away, and spun her around to face him. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear once more. "I'm always up for a good challenge, Your Majesty." And then he started to walk back toward the camp, having had the last word in the conversation.

_Damn that man._ Her mind had almost literally taken a walk as she felt a hand grab her and spin her around. She should have been more on guard, ready to tear the offender apart verbally if not physically for daring to put their hands on her. She felt the warm air against her ear as he whispered into it. She always had full control of her body and how she reacted to people…they fell all over themselves for her, not the other way around. She heard the words, and watched him walk away and knew at least for this one time, someone had bested her. She wiped her sweaty palms on the front of her cape and then followed the exasperating man back to camp. Never again, she promised herself, would she let Robin, or anyone else for that matter, under her skin.

Later after returning to one of the numerous camp fires, and having a quick meal, Regina was startled when someone stepped beside her and dropped the bracelet she had been wearing in her lap. She looked up to see the smiling face of none other than Robin Hood.

"I believe this is yours, Your Majesty." He watched her checking her wrist surreptitiously, before putting the piece back on. "Good night."

Regina felt more than watched the thief walk away. She shook her head in amusement, and a smile tugged at the corner of her lip.

That was just the start of a spree of petty thefts off the Queen's person.

* * *

*Storybrook*

Emma looked between the two as they talked. She was shocked to hear Regina say so little rather than finishing her rant, but she found herself staring at Regina with her mouth literally hanging open as she heard her apologize. She watched the two turn around and start back in the direction they had been traveling, and as Emma walked to catch back up to her, she saw Regina turn back to gaze at the father and son entering the place she had just escaped.

Regina watched as the father turned around and started walking toward the sliding glass doors. She shook herself a little in order to clear her head from the fuzz that it seemed full of all of the sudden. Finally getting her bearings, she turned around and started her fast pace walk; however she couldn't help looking back one last time as the duo entered the building and walked out of sight.

Emma finally realized the direction they were walking: not toward where she had parked her car earlier, nor toward Regina's home, but toward town. "Regina, my car's over there," she pointed behind them. But from the intense look, and the determined speed, Emma worried that Regina had something else on her mind other than going home and taking it easy.

"Come on, Miss Swan. Don't dawdle, we have places to go…and a witch to hunt."

* * *

AN: I plan on Regina having many deja vu moments throughout the story, and like the pictures in Henry's old storybook, they are a good way to switch between Storybrook and the Enchanted Forest. Yes, while the curse should be fool proof, my reasoning is Regina's kid has issues with magic, and so the curse didn't work entirely on Regina as she was pregnant then…very, very early on, but still.

Also I do try to pull in as much of the show as possible so some things will be used like the Neil and Rumple storyline, but some parts (like the cool interactions from the show between Regina and Robin) will probably all change.

Okay, so who is looking forward to tonight's cat fight...can't wait to watch and figure out how to twist that into the story. Especially as Regina is having magical issues :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Familial Ties**

AN: just a fun chapter between Regina and Emma before a really heavy chapter 5

**Chapter 4**

***Storybrooke* - Present Day**

Emma and Regina had been in the mayor's office for a good ten minutes without any talking. When they got to the office, Regina quickly and efficiently walked around the room gathering up some glass equipment, some packs of herbs and other small items, and bottles of colorful liquids. On the next gathering round of the room, she came back with a couple ancient looking magic books and a bottle of water from the mini fridge that she always kept stocked in the office.

Emma couldn't help but touching items. She picked up a beaker and pipette and thought back to the bit of high school education she got. "What did you do? Buy a basic chemistry set?" Without waiting for an answer Emma went on and picked up a bottle that was filled with something that looked like fish eggs, and wondered how caviar was used in potions or if Regina was just hungry. She made a disgusted face at the idea of eating that delicacy.

Regina took the cap off the water bottle and took a long drink as she didn't remember having anything since the small cup of apple juice earlier in the day. She tried not to roll her eyes at Emma's need to touch anything in sight. That touching thing usually got them into trouble. Setting down the half empty water bottle, she finally decided to answer the blond and to warn her about the volatile ingredients before anything bad could happen. She could just imagine what the public would think if the Savior was blown up days after she came back and after another curse was set. "Actually it was a very high end chemistry set…"

Emma couldn't help it she tried to keep from laughing, and so it came out as a mix between a giggle and a snort when she tried to pull the laugh back. "Of course it was," she said not even looking at the other occupant in the room as she was too busy. She placed the bottle back down and then picked up a vial of an iridescent green fluid that seemed to shift to an ocean blue when she swirled the bottle and the light hit it.

When the precious bottle of Dark Fea eyes was put back on the table, Regina breathed a sigh of relief but then groaned as the blond just couldn't leave stuff alone. "Really!? Must you touch everything? You are even worse than Henry was when he was a toddler."

"I know."

That small statement reminded her why she was playing chemist in the first place . Not only did Regina want her own memories of the last year back, she so wanted her son to look at her with, if not love, recognition. As it stood now, he was still living out the memories that she had blessed Emma and Henry with so they would have their own Happy Ending. Her anger over the situation caused her tone to take on a harsher quality than she meant, "If you break that vial of dragon's blood, Miss Swan, you had better know where to find another dragon to slay." She couldn't help but softening when she saw the look that she saw so often on Henry's face when he knew he was caught doing something he shouldn't. Oh how she missed him.

The vial was slowly lowered to the table as Emma was now too afraid to move quickly and break anything. Once she pulled her hand back away from the table, she let out a deep breath of air, rocked on her heels, and clasped her hands together in front of her as it was either that or sit on them. "So what's the plan?"

Regina didn't look away as she was too busy setting up the equipment. She really did love that this world had well-made items she could use to make potions. It was much easier than cobbling together items that didn't always fit securely together, and at least so far she had never had the glass stirring rods melt. The wooden ones she used to use in the Enchanted Forest seemed to dissolve in the more corrosive mixtures. Once she even had a wooden stirring rod go up in a flash of flames when she was creating a strong potion that could be used to blast through stone. She attributed that accident to the use of the dragon's blood in the already unstable mix; she never did get that potion to work and so never was able to use it to breach the fortified walls around Snow's castle to let her soldiers in. After a few losses of wooden stirrers, the Evil Queen tried to use sticks made out of metal. However, no matter what type of metal she used, the potions were destroyed…sometimes violently. "You are going to sit there quietly," she pointed toward the couch and while she didn't look that way, she knew that Emma sat as the sound of a loud sigh and someone all but collapsing on the leather couch reached her ears.

"And I am going to try and recreate the memory potion that you used." Regina pulled out the small bottle that Emma gave her that once was filled with the useful potion. She took off the cork stopper and took a deep whiff of the remaining droplets. She had a deep look of concentration on her face, and then she pulled a few ingredients and moved them to a spot in front of the glass contraption: a very small box with some black pebbles and the bottle of what Emma thought were fish-eggs. She took another sniff of the bottle and then pulled out a bottle of sparkling pink liquid and set it with the other items she had chosen. Knowing that she had determined all the ingredients she could base on smell, she tilted the bottle with her finger covering the opening. When there were a couple drops of potion on the tip of her right index finger, she lifted it to her mouth and took a small taste. She had her eyes closed to try and help close out all distractions to help analyze the make-up of the potion. She did not see the movement out of the corner of her eye, nor did she hear the thudding of feet barreling toward her as she assumed she was safe in her office and therefore did not try and have all of her senses monitoring her surroundings.

Regina moved the bit of potion that she was able to obtain around her mouth so that the various taste buds could try and figure out what they were sensing. She noticed sour, about the amount that she would taste when drinking a cool glass of water with a lemon in it. She noticed a hint of sugar, not too much, but just enough to try and make the foul concoction taste slightly bearable. It was the bitter heat that was the strongest, and between the burn on the back of her tongue coupled with her not feeling well she wondered if she might be ill. She took a deep breath and then felt something in the air that could not be attributed to the potion and so registered that something or someone was behind her. Moments later her right wrist was grabbed in a vice and pulled to the side. It wasn't planned, but more of a knee-jerk reaction from someone who had been marked for death for many years. If it came to fight-or-flight she was definitely going to fight. She quickly and forcefully pulled on her magic and twisted just enough to see the face of the attacker as she wanted to see the look in their eyes right before she sent her fireball between them.

The moment Emma realized that Henry's pregnant mom was going to taste the potion, she fearfully bolted to her feet and ran like a linebacker. While she didn't tackle the Queen to the ground, she did run into her hard enough to push them both into the table and jostle it. She grabbed Regina's right hand and pulled it away from the startled woman's mouth. "What are you doing?" She all but yelled. It was then that she saw the petrified look on the face in front of her, and the large fireball that was being held way too close to her face. All she could think was, '_Way to go, Swan.'_

Within a split second Regina realized her mistake when she saw the messy blond hair, the frightened green eyes, and that damned red pleather jacket. She pulled the magic back in and the fireball extinguished. Between the magic that had coursed through her at break-neck speed, and the shot of adrenaline that spiked when she thought that she was being attacked, Regina felt a deep confused weariness weight down her shoulders. Deciding it would be best to take a break and figure out what the hell Miss Swan was thinking, Regina started toward the previously occupied couch. A shocked Emma was still holding onto the wrist she had grabbed and so was dragged along behind the mayor like a puppy with the tail between its legs.

Regina tried to calm her breathing. She leaned back into the comfortable couch, tilted her head to rest on the back, and took a few deep breaths like Archie had once taught her…not that she would let anyone learn about that. A few minutes of awkward silence later, Regina sat up a bit and just glared at Emma and then her trapped right wrist. "What the hell was that about?"

A dazed Emma noticed the glare, and pulled back her hand as though it was burned. "Regina, you can't go around trying unknown potions. It could be dangerous to you or the kid," she looked down quickly toward Regina's stomach and then back up to her face. "And even then, you are having issues with magic, so are you sure potion making is safe?"

The brunette didn't know whether to feel elated at the concern she saw from Emma, or annoyed at the disruption. Regina just took another calming breath. "You had no lingering effects from the potion other than getting your memories back; therefore it can be assumed that it would not harm me either…plus none of those ingredients are even toxic by themselves."

Emma looked apologetic and still not convinced. "I once mixed two cleaning products together. I was hoping if I made a good impression on my new foster family they might keep me." She shrugged and played off the hurt she still felt. "They were safe by themselves, but the gas it created when mixed….not so much."

Regina shook her head in amusement, "Only you, Miss Swan." She decided to leave out the time she had made a deadly fume by accident that peeled off much of the skin on a nearby guard when she was trying to just make the person feel like their skin was burning. She wanted to use it as a means of torture that would keep the victims alive longer for questioning, not that she couldn't just rip out hearts and make them confess…but she couldn't let the jailers have no fun. When she looked at the guard, the Evil Queen knew the potion needed adjustments – yeah, she would leave that story between her and a dead soldier who would never tell the tale.

"Will it help if I step you through what I'm doing?" At Emma's nod, Regina continued, "Okay, magic lesson 101: introduction to potions." She walked back over to the table and grabbed up the last two ingredients she thought she needed based on taste: a fine red powder, and the vial of dragon's blood. "Creating a potion is not the same as the magic I've used, well tried to use, today. All magic can be grouped into two categories: active magic or passive magic." As she talked she started to mix the ingredients. "Active magic uses a piece of yourself: your hopes, fears, desires or in my case, usually anger. Passive magic on the other hand uses items around you that are already imbued with magic: so the ingredients I'm using in potions, or even using the Dark One's dagger in order to command him. Written spells fall in the middle as power can be woven into the words to help augment your own. The saying 'The pen is mightier than the sword,' is very true where spells are concerned."

"So if I have this correctly, active magic is like foolish wand waving or silly incantations and passive magic is more like making potions to bottle fame, brew glory and all that."

Regina turned her gaze from the beaker she was stirring to look at the blond, "A sound comparison, if you want to make it so pedantic as to be about an 11 year old boy's magical studies, then yes, and don't forget the stopper of death…granted, what's the fun in that?" She sent over a wicked smile at the connotation in the last few words.

Emma couldn't help the wide grin from those words, "Oh My God! You know Harry Potter references."

"Please, I have…we have a 12 year old son, of course I got him interested in the books." Her amusement at seeing Emma so carefree quickly drained from her and she turned back toward the potion so Emma couldn't see the anguish on her face. Her words came out in a sorrowful whisper, "I was hoping Henry would see the good in magic and so when he learned about me he wouldn't fear me…instead I was put in the 'worse that Voldemort' category." She chuckled ruefully.

Emma stepped in closer to Regina and put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "We will figure this out, Regina."

Not wanting to fall apart emotionally, especially in front of another, and as the ingredients were mixed and now over the flames so she could collect the evaporated fumes, the only thing to do was to carry on her lesson in order to change the topic. The former Queen shifted to pick up the packet of fine red powder; the movement also helped as it pulled her away from the compassionate grasp as she wasn't sure she would be able to hold her emotions at bay if she didn't.

"One of the ingredients I determined by taste, before I was so rudely interrupted," she would probably have smiled at the apologetic look on Emma's face if it wasn't for the mask she had put in place to not fall apart. "This is ground chili pepper. It was probably used as it helps normalize activity of the nervous system, and as we are trying to get back hidden memories if makes sense that something to help the normal brain function would be used. It is part of the nightshade family of plants…"

"Aren't those all poisonous…you said none of the ingredients were toxic," Emma asked with a hint of worry coming through her annoyed tone.

"Some plants in that family are toxic but not all. You probably know a few plants, naming a few: potato, tomato, petunia, belladonna, tobacco, mandrake…"

"You mean like those crying baby plants?"

"Miss Swan, not all things magical come down to a Harry Potter reference." Granted, at the moment, Regina mused that if she had one of those she would use it to knock out the blond in order to get her to be quiet.

Regina placed the spice down and picked up the container with the small black stones. "Pieces of a blackened heart…not much of this was ever made as only one attempt somewhat worked. One time when I wondered if there was a way to heal a blackened heart, before I was totally Evil, I had the idea to actually remove the piece of heart that was darkened. Kind of like how doctors would remove dead tissues to help in healing. The first few times led to death, as the moment I broke into the healthy part of the heart, it would turn to dust. So finally I tried to just chisel out the majority of the taint, before I put it back in place."

"Did it work?" Emma whispered out, not sure she really wanted the answer but too curious not to ask.

"Yes, and no. Tanner lost most of his darkness but as that was such an integral part of him, it was like he had a lobotomy. All of his cunning was related to dark deeds, so he died soon after from a stupid bar brawl." Regina stared at the small stones, her forehead wrinkling in confusion, "The only two people who have this item, as far as I can remember, is myself and Rumple." Her fear, that maybe she did backslide and decide those bad memories should be erased, taunted her. She quickly pushed her worry away to continue on.

When Emma saw Regina pick up the bottle of small black blobs, she couldn't help but wonder aloud, "Caviar? How would you use caviar in a potion?" While Emma hated being the butt of a joke, she decided it was okay this once as it actually cracked the former Queen's mask a bit.

Regina just chuckled at her unschooled pupil. "No, these are dark fae eyes. But caviar does sound good right about now," her humor increased as she saw Emma's disgusted. "The eyes would help to see the truth, whether the memories were good or bad. The eyes had to be harvested while the creature was still alive and there were brain signals to the eyes; Both were needed in order to not only get the strength form the darkness of the fae, but also from the darkness of all the dastardly deeds they have witnessed in their lives." She rolled her eyes when Emma giggled and choked out 'dastardly deeds,' before totally losing it. The brunette mused, "You are disgusted at the idea of caviar, but laughing hysterically about dark fae eyes?" When Emma finally got herself under control, Regina went on, "They are a cross between a fairy and an imp…"

"Do you think they…you know…and had a mutant kid?" Emma tilted her head as she wondered, "Maybe that is where the 'no dating' rule came from for the fairies?" At a deep laugh and then a revolted look on Regina's face, Emma almost whined, "What? It was a valid question."

Regina got her laughter under control but still had the smile on her lips as she tried to lessen Emma's hurt feelings. "Yes, it was a logical question. But you try picturing Blue and Rumple…" she had a slight sneer, but her eyes still twinkled in merriment as she mocked the blond, "…you know…and having a mutant kid."

Emma definitely understood where the hilarity came from as all she could do was giggle and then shudder at the idea. "You know this is nice. What I always imagined girl talk at a sleep over would be like," her eyes glazed over in sadness at what she missed "And I don't count the orphanage I was at for a while that had 10 girls sleeping in one large room." She pulled herself back into the present and shifted the topic off of herself as she knew that Regina still blamed herself for the life Emma had growing up. "Did you ever do anything like that- girl talk or friends staying over?" When she heard the answer, Emma wanted to kick herself for bringing up Regina's past too…they both had their demons.

"I didn't really have friends growing up, and even if I did, no one from our providence would have wanted to spend the night. They all feared my mother, which they had cause to do…even I did."

Wanting to change the topic back to something safer, Regina picked up the small flask of sparkling pink liquid, "This is essence of fairy infused with pink baby's breath, which amusingly is also known as pink fairy. Since fairies and fairy dust can help people get their wish, it would also be helpful in a potion where there was a wish component…like getting memories back for this one."

"I should tell Grumpy to send Sister Astrid some pink fairy flowers." Emma didn't realize how much she interwove name from the Enchanted Forest with those from Storybrooke. "And what is essence of fairy?"

Regina gave a raised eyebrow in question, "Do you really want to know?" She watched Emma nod after the look on her face went from curiosity, to worried, to an attempt at an emotionless face…but no one could do that as well as Regina did. "It's the blood of a fairy mixed with their supply of fairy dust. The stronger the fairy, the stronger the mixture, as not only would the power from the fairy be great, they also carried a greater amount of fairy dust than most." She held up the container toward the light so they could see the sparkles shine, "you can tell this is from a fairly strong fairy because of how deep the color is, and it has lots of sparkles."

Emma just nodded even though she didn't have anything to compare the colors and sparkle-ability with, so she just took Regina at her word.

"Oh, and this stays between you and me. I do not want a certain Blue gnat to get wind that I own some."

Emma didn't see the wistful look on Regina's face as she picked up the vial of dragon's blood. Instead the blond joked, "So did you have to send a fireball through any dragons? Would be funny if so because usually the dragon is the one spitting fire." When no answer came, she turned to face the other, "Regina?"

Regina tried to smile in memory, but it didn't meet her eyes, "Maleficent knew I needed some for a potion I wanted to experiment with. She allowed me to take some when she was in her dragon form…that's why this is so priceless."

"So she was a friend?"

"I guess…in a way."

Emma felt horrible about killing someone who would even minutely show some compassion toward the evil queen. "I'm so sorry, Regina."

"It's okay. She wasn't the same here…something happened when she came over. While I trapped her in dragon form, I didn't take into consideration what the new place having no magic would mean. I guess without any way to ever change back, she lost any shred of humanity that she kept when in her dragon form…she was left as only an aggressive beast, and not a magical shapeshifter." Regina blinked back the tears, and was glad to see that the potion was almost finished as she so wanted this day over with. "Anyway, as dragons are known for their wisdom, it would make since in a potion to make people know something once unknown."

Trying to lighten the mood in the room, Emma grabbed at her head and groaned, "Brain overload."

"Well I have had almost 70 years to learn, if not practice, the field dear… you can't learn it all in a day."

The room fell silent for a while as both of the ladies pondered different things. Finally Emma turned toward the ex-Queen. "I was wondering something…"

"Will wonders never cease." Regina couldn't help it. She had missed the playful banter in the last month.

"Regina, I'm serious."

"So was I, Dear." At the so not-amused look on Emma's face, Regina relented, "Okay, what was this wondrous idea?" She couldn't totally stop with the quips at someone else's expense.

Emma just glared and then decided it wasn't worth the argument. "So based on all this today, for some reason your active magic is acting up. Right?"

"It would seem so."

"So then how did you seem fine when you almost fireballed my ass?"

Regina paused contemplating the question. It was well-reasoned, and she was annoyed that her fledgling student thought about it before she did. Trying to sound scathing to cover up the fact that she had no clue, Regina sarcastically sneered, "Very good, Miss Swan. Maybe there is a brain in that head after all." She wanted to throw the potion bottle when Emma just smiled at her knowingly and started whistling a tune that oddly sounded like 'If I Only Had a Brain' from the Wizard of Oz. Regina just shook her head at the antics of the aggravating blond.

She pondered the question with the humming for background noise. The only issues she's had today was when she tried to do magic in the town hall, and when she was told she was pregnant and tried to run. "I've never heard of a magic user having issues like this. Possibly since a child would need me to sustain it, there might not be enough left to pull from to activate the magic correctly." She didn't realize that as she spoke her right hand lowered to her still flat stomach. Regina thought back to the moment earlier in the office: Emma grabbed her wrist, she reacted in fright, and so pulled on her magic without real thought, made a decent fireball….Emma grabbed her wrist. She raised her gaze, her eyes wide, to stare at the blond and remembered when Emma had jump-started her magic with the Mad Hatter's tophat. She schooled her features. "Maybe as fire magic was the first thing I learned…it comes easier and with less pull than others." She had some extra research to do now: return memories, find who set the curse, and now figure out how Emma strengthened her magic. No pressure.

Emma stared into the dark eyes. She could tell Regina was lying, but she didn't understand why. For some reason she didn't feel like confronting Regina about it now, so Emma just nodded and said, "Makes sense."

Regina mused that nothing made sense at this moment. They should still be in the Enchanted Forest, while Emma and Henry should be living happily with no memories what so ever of a town called Storybrooke and its inhabitants, and she so should not be pregnant. What had happened in the last year? She wanted, no needed, for all to remember. Not just to get Henry back, but also as the not knowing was tearing her up inside. The horrible what-ifs she kept imaging were at least hopefully very far from the truth.

She picked up the finished potion and swirled it around in the light to make sure it look correct and there were no bits of eyes or spice floating in it. Feeling satisfied that it looked okay, Regina tipped her head back and swallowed the potion in one go. She waited for it to work…and waited; finally feeling angry and heart-broken when she knew she had failed. She hurled the potion bottle at the wall to try and bleed off some of her emotions as she couldn't do that currently with magic. She walked over to the couch and collapsed down on it in a mix of exhaustion and devastation.


	5. Chapter 5

**Familial Ties**

AN: lots of blood and gore and inference of rape during the Enchanted Forest scene – skip this scene please if needed.

**Chapter 5**

***Storybrooke* - Present Day**

Emma looked over at the tired visage of the mayor when she plopped down on the couch. "We've had worse trials Regina and we always figured it out. We will solve this problem too." There was silence for a few minutes and Emma hoped that Regina was taking her words to heart and trying to come up with a plan, so she was not expecting the next words she heard.

In a quiet and shaky voice, Regina admitted, "Maybe it shouldn't be solved? Maybe the answers are too awful, which is why my memories are gone too." She just stared at her clasped hands on her lap.

Emma moved over to sit by the mayor, and placed her right hand over Regina's, "You don't mean that Regina. I know you. You will do anything in your power to get everyone's memories back, especially for both of your children….so Henry will remember and you will be able to give your kid a dad."

Regina yanked her hands away, and nervously pushed herself off the couch. She paced like a trapped and scared animal. "You don't understand, Miss Swan. There is no way I can be pregnant. I made sure of that long ago." She remembered drinking the foul tasting potion in order to deny her mother a chance at the throne through an heir. She remembered the cramping and trying to grin in triumph at her mother as she realized the truth of what she had just done.

Emma just chuckled and pointed toward the mayor's stomach. "Well the tests say otherwise, Your Majesty."

Regina twirled around quickly to face Emma and barked out, "Do Not Call Me That."

Emma jumped up and steadied Regina as she saw her start to pale and sway a little on her feet. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it, Regina." She pulled the trembling woman back to the couch and they both settled on it. "So explain it to me. What are you afraid of?"

She looked into Emma's forest green eyes and felt the tears gathered in the corners of her own and whispered out, "Me."

Not knowing what to say to help ease the pain of the woman in front of her, Emma just stayed quiet and hoped that the silence might get Regina to open up a little bit.

"I took a potion long ago so that I could never have a child," she glanced out the window, and the dark lonely night paralleled her mood.

"So maybe you made a cure during the year you can't remember, like we are trying to do to fix everyone's memories?" Emma thought out ideas hoping that something would spark a memory in the brunette.

"I hope not. If I did that means I picked an even darker path than the one I used to be on when the Evil Queen was at her strongest." She looked toward Emma, but her fear and shame caused her to look away quickly. She stood back up slower this time, wandered over to her desk, and picked up one of the shiny red apples that she always had around. She stared at the bright red fruit and remembered a day long past when she saw too much red.

* * *

***Enchanted Forest* - During the reign of the Evil Queen**

(**WARNING**: lots of blood and gore and assumption of rape – skip this scene please if needed.)

Regina could see the dark billowing smoke over the nearest ridge as she rode in her luxurious carriage. Her curiosity on what was happening in her realm had her knocking on the wall of the black box and, when the small window that separated her from the driver was pulled open, she barked out the order, "Change direction. I want to see what the cause is of all that smoke in my kingdom." She sneered and said as the people seemed to expect of her, "We wouldn't want the Forest to burn down now, would we?" A gleeful grin came to her face as she thought of her 'dear step-daughter' getting caught in the blaze, as well as all the traitors who helped her to survive in the wilderness so far.

As the entourage got closer to the source of the smoke, Regina could make out the screams of women and wailing children, the clash of metal on metal that slowly dwindled to a halt, and even the crackle of the blazing fire and the wood that it was destroying. She smiled wickedly as she pictured all the women and children crying over their lost fathers or grandfathers. This was entirely their fault. They knew the punishment for treason - and lodging or helping Snow White was at the top of that list.

The carriage came to a halt and a footman came to open the door. He placed the step to help her down. Regina took his hand in one hand and the skirt of her jet black corseted dress in the other and gracefully descended from the carriage. Scathing words on the tip of her tongue about how lucky the survivors were for the mercy shown to them, but there was no one around other than the soldiers that had traveled with her and the bloody and cheering men that had destroyed and were now plundering. She swallowed back the words and the bile that threatened to come up as she started walking around the now ghost town; the only noise was the revelry and the cracking of fire that had swallowed up some of the smaller huts. Her head was held high and her back ramrod straight as she heard her mother's words in her head "A Queen can show no weakness, dear." She saw gutted men with pitchforks and axes lying next to them. The pitiful excuse for weapons and the lack of any training were no match for her Black Guard. She continued on and saw a girl, possibly 15 if that, staring at the now smoky sky with glassy unseeing eyes. It was clear what happened to her from the skirt that was hiked up around her waist and the blood coating her thighs and the ground around her.

_Briefly her thoughts strayed to another time and place. She could smell the alcohol on the man, King ….husband, who had only partially moved off of her before he collapsed on to the bed. She shifted slowly in order not to wake the beast and to keep her pain to a minimum; she pulled the white nightshift back down to cover her body. Tears beaded at the corner of her eyes and she grieved for the last part of her happy ending that this man had literally ripped from her. She had always pictured herself making love to Daniel on their wedding night; instead she learned what it was to be the King's property. _

The tears beaded in the corners of her eyes, and she blinked to remove them. She tried to guard her heart a bit more and turned away from the fallen girl as she told herself that it was just the smoke and ash making her eyes watery. With a flick of her wrist and the will of magic toward the body, she moved on to keep taking stock of the atrocities commented here. A few more minutes of walking and she turned to face a more gruesome sight. A pregnant woman and a young boy lay beside each other in their final embrace. The Queen could almost have imaged the small family taking a brief rest together if it wasn't for the scythe that had nearly cut them in two. The blade had cut through the top of the child's head and into the swollen belly of the mother. The once pale golden hair of the child was either sheared off or coated with the dark red of recently drawn blood. She walked forward slowly, and with her gloved hand she reached forward and closed the boy's eyes as she could not bear to see the terrified gaze any longer. As she started to pull her hand away, her eyes were drawn toward the mother's stomach. It wasn't the spilled guts that were her undoing but the almost fully formed yet lifeless child that had spilled out as well. She reached down and gently cradled the too still and quiet child in her hands - an innocent, like the boy, who had never even got a chance to breathe in the forest air or to see a loving gaze from his mother. The anger blazed in her eyes as she positioned the mother's arms in order to at least hold her child in death; she placed the infant in that cold embrace and then let her anger and sorrow out. Twin fireballs erupted from her hands as she stepped back, and at her bidding, they rushed forward and quickly but thoroughly blazed around the family until they were little more than ash. All she could do for them now was give them a funeral pyre to honor the lives that they should have lived.

She watched until all that remained of the family was a charred patch of ground, and her memories of the devastation that her men had wrought. She quickly turned around and stormed toward the nearest 'soldier' she could find. He was almost passed out, and from the pungent smell of alcohol around him, it was easy to figure out why. In a few seconds, she had him awake as she channeled her magic and her rage. She raised her left hand to yank him up into the air like a marionette, and, at the same time, she used her right hand in a quick swipe to hurl a nearby bucket of wash water to splash in his face. The fact that the bucket followed the water and smashed into his nose probably also had something to do with the look of pained fear in his gaze. Now that she had his attention, she slowly spoke to him, "Go and find the two men in charge of your regiment, and then all of you report to me." She let her arms drop and the magic extinguish so the man fell painfully onto the hard ground. He just stared there at her dumbly until she bellowed out, "NOW!"

The man jumped up from the heap on the ground as if his pants were on fire,\ and hurriedly ran away to not only do as ordered, but to get as far away from the angry Queen as he could for the moment. All he left behind in his wake was the tipped over bottom of rum and a puddle where he had been dropped.

Regina watched with a blank stare as two men came toward her with the drunken soldier trailing a bit behind them. The man on the right had more of a swagger to his gait and a proud air about him. The other man walked a bit more respectfully toward his Queen. They all bowed when they reached her, and when the proud man came back to full height, he preened, "You wanted to see us, your Majesty. We followed your orders to destroy anyone who had been found to have helped the traitor, Snow White."

"Yes I wanted to see you." She purred out the words and watched as a smile came to the proud man's face. "I wanted to congratulate you…."

Before hearing the rest he beamed an even brighter smile, "Thank you, your…" He stopped in his tracked as the rest of her soft spoken words registered.

"…for your inept leadership." The gasping fish-like face as he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly came just as much from being shocked into silence as from the black gloved hand quickly reaching forward and tearing his still beating heart from his chest. She gave it a small squeeze and reveled in the pained gasps. "And tell me, Commander, how does an unborn child help out the rouge Princess, hmm?" She hummed the end of the question as she glanced toward the direction of where the family had been. Looking back toward the teen who now had her skirt pulled down in place, and her eyes closed, the Evil Queen went on, "What did that …that…child do to deserve your men treating her as a rutting whore?" She stepped closer to him and gave an evil sneer, and not wanting to hear what excuses he would spew, she raised his heart in front of his face and gleefully squeezed as the fear took over his face as his heart was crushed to dust and dropped to the dirt.

The drunken soldier mumbled a whispered, "We were just havin' some fun….lettin' off some steam," at the last question from the Evil Queen. When he saw his leader fall down dead at his feet, and realized from the dark stare that now was focused on him that he had stupidly voiced his thought.

Regina stalked up to him and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Just a little fun, hmm?" She placed her right hand flat on his chest and circled around to his back, her warm breath still close to his ear. She stepped even closer to the inebriated man, her chest pushed up against his back as the hand on his chest starts to move lower until she reached his pants. She slid her hand inside the clothes, and started to slowly fondle him, her magic tingling on her fingertips to work him into a fast frenzy. "Like this?" she asked in a soft seductive murmur.

The intoxicated man felt the queen's chest pushing against his back and the hand that seemed to ignite his skin. Within moments he was hard and he closed his eyes and tilted his head back. His breath coming out in heavy pants and right when he thought he was going to explode, he instead felt a shearing twisting pain.

She felt the soldier tensing up, and his hips trying to grind forward into her hand and her seductive gaze turned deadly as her month curled up into a smirk. She twisted his flesh in her hand with all her might and called up her magic to ignite a localized fireball. She watched in glee as he grabbed at his crotch and let out an animalistic scream as he fell to the ground writhing to try and get away from the pain and to put out the flames. She didn't kill him, but she bet that he would have preferred that currently. She glazed down without any sympathy and spit out, "I was just having a little fun." She watched as he tried to roll and pat the front of his pants to make sure all the fire was out; she enjoyed the screams as with each touch his swollen flesh was again battered. When the fire was out, she could still see the smoke rising from him, "Letting off some steam."

Her men had been getting complacent and blood thirsty. She remembered the village she had found when she traveled with Snow in disguise, she heard about a couple more incidents, and now this. She would put a stop to it and put them back in their place…under her tight control.

Regina turned her gaze to the third man wondering what punishment he would require, or if his actions would let him off lightly. She gracefully stepped over the moaning man and walked toward the only man still standing in her presence. She respected that he still stood at attention even if his eyes did stray for a moment to his fallen leader and the crying soldier. "Congratulations on your promotion, Commander." She glared as he said the necessary thanks, and then her eyes turned darker as she ordered, "Get your men under control. Or you will not have as easy a death. There was a reason I ordered that only traitorous adults be killed." She paused to make sure he was still listening and went on, "One as an example to get the rest to talk." She gestured to the town and the devastation all around her, "Can I get any information from the villagers now?"

"No, your Majesty."

"No," she stepped up to him and smiled as she alluringly trails a finger down his cheek and gazes into his dark eyes. "Make sure your men behave Commander, or you will have me to answer to." She leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips. Her lips only millimeters from his as she pulls back, "And we wouldn't want that now, would we?"

He takes in a deep breath to answer without his voice quivering, "No, your Majesty."

She pulls back from him and pats him on the check. "I knew I could count on you." She regally turns back toward her carriage with her posture as straight as always, but the smile dropped from her face as she thought about all the mothers and children who had been killed in her name by out of control leaders. Not that she was nice or anything to women and children, but she did try to avoid killing them if at all possible. Her thought briefly went to Hansel and Gretel and Snow White; she rationalized that she did warn the siblings NOT to eat the food, and she waited to go after her step-daughter until Snow was the same age that she herself had been when forced to marry. That had to count for something …not that she cared. She shook her head and brought her thoughts back to the present. The Queen had a lot of restructuring to do in the ranks, and at least a slight smile came back to her face as she thought about all of the hearts she would have after the week was out as that thought was easier to stomach than what she had seen moments before.

* * *

***Storybrooke* - Present Day**

Regina placed the apple back on the table, not wanting to see the vibrant red anymore. She lowered her hands to her still flat stomach and started to talk with her back still facing Emma as she was too ashamed and too scared to see the look of disgust on her face. "I ordered my men to kill those who helped Snow White, but after a while they started doing more… whole villages were slaughtered - men, women, and children - and then the town torched. Once I realized, I knew I had to get them back under my control…either with the fear of death, or because I held their hearts so they could only follow my commands. At the time I reasoned that if anyone disobeyed orders, they might start to want more power and no one should be allowed to try and take anything unless I ordered it. I would not allow anyone to usurp my power. Looking back now I know it wasn't just that. My heart might be filled with darkness, but at least not totally. There is still a shred of humanity in there…even if no one in this town believes it." She tried to smile at the heart-felt 'I believe you,' but Regina wasn't even sure if she really believed what she wanted other to see. She sighed wearily as she dropped her hands to her side and walked around the desk to collapse in her chair. She felt like she needed this barrier between her and the Savior, even as she lowered one in order to tell this tale. "I never meant for all those innocent lives to be lost. There was enough blood of those children to make my heart blacken, but making the cure for the dark potion I had taken would have been worse." She looked up with pained filled eyes hoping that she would not see what she usually saw when people learned about all her evil deeds.

Emma walked to the desk and sat down on one of the uncomfortable chairs opposite Regina. She briefly thought that they must be made to torture those who dared to bother the mayor, before she pulled her thoughts back to the crazy day so far. She reached out a hand to clasp Regina's, to not only give her hand a squeeze for comfort, but also to get her to stop fidgeting and rearranging the objects on her desk. Emma asked quietly, not sure she really wanted to know the answer, but knowing that Regina really needed someone to talk to who wouldn't cry 'Off with her head!' at a moments' notice. "What would the cure have needed?"

"The potion was dark magic, designed to painfully strip a women of the joy of having a child and creating life. It was usually used involuntarily to destroy a person's chance at a future family, and happiness." She closed her eyes for a moment and lowered her voice as she didn't really want to give words to what she must have done in the missing year. "To cure the potion, someone else would need to pay the requirements of the potion."

Emma was trying to understand but between catching up with a lifetime of memories in the last week, she was a little slower on putting all the pieces together. "So you had to give the potion to someone else?"

"No," Regina sighed and pulled her hands away from Emma. She couldn't handle the disgust that was bound to occur and the rejection as Emma pulled away. She learned long ago to be the one to put the wall up first to not get hurt so much. "I would have to literally strip the woman of the chance to have a child…by taking the mother's heart and pulling the tiny beating heart out of the child still inside the womb. Ordering the mother to crush her own child's heart…" She took a deep breath and swallowed down some bile. She unconsciously knew she needed a break from the telling and so she started explaining the logistics like she would have during her lessons. "While only someone with magic can crush a heart usually, it's known that creating life and sustaining it is a type of magic, and while that connection is still there it can be corrupted like all magic can. It can be used to create life, but it can be twisted to destroy it. Since the mother's heart would be in my hands, she would have no ability or even desire to fight and save her child as would be natural. And as the person who drank the potion would have to live with the knowledge of her future, so would the woman being used for the cure. The mother's heart would then be put back so that she would feel the agony of what she had done. She would then not only have to grieve the loss of her child, but deliver the stillborn baby. The entire trauma making her now barren instead of the one poisoned"

Emma watched as Regina pulled her hand away, and then pulled on all she could to place the wall around her emotions as she told about the cure. Emma grabbed the hand in front of her and gave it a friendly squeeze. She waited until the pained gaze of the mayor was finally locked on her sympathetic one and stated with all her belief, "You wouldn't do that Regina."

The mayor threw on her regal mask and quickly pulled away from Emma and stood up. "We know NOTHING Emma. For all we know, I did backside after losing Henry, wanting another child so badly that I cured myself." She gestured in the direction of the cemetery and her vault, "and after that I probably ripped out someone's heart in order to command him into my bed." She turned back toward Emma and sneered, "Maybe I decided to piss Snow off and borrowed your father for a bed warmer. You could be having two siblings for all you know."

Emma jumped up angrily, "Enough, Regina. God, why would you even say such a thing?"

"Because I'm evil, Dear, haven't you figured that out yet."

Emma saw the smirk and knew she had fallen for Regina's ploy. She took a few deep breaths and counted to 10, and then counted to 10 again before finally talking in a calmer voice. "Regina, don't do this. You are better than this. Yes, you were probably hurting a lot after you lost Henry." At the 'duh' look from the brunette Emma threw up her hands, "fine, okay, you were heart-broken. But knowing that hurt Regina, I don't think even you are so evil as to take a child from someone else unwillingly and make them feel that same grief."

Regina sat back down looking defeated from the truth as she could see it without knowing what happened in the missing year, "That is the ONLY cure, Emma."

Emma just shook her head and smiled, "that is the only cure that you KNOW of now….maybe you learned something new. We will figure this out Regina along with figuring out about the missing year and getting Henry's memories back."

Regina just rolled her eyes but was so thankful for the trust from the woman in front of her, "Save us from Charming optimism."

Emma's smile got wider when she heard Regina drop her self-loathing for the moment. She stood up and gestured toward the door. "Let's go get some dinner, grab the kid, and head to your place …you are getting house guests."

"Lovely," Regina said sarcastically, even though she wanted to see Henry so much, even if only as a guest in her house and not as his mom. Emma grabbed her hand to help her up, and while still connected Regina set the trap for the witch. She knew that soon they would at least have the answer of who cast the curse this time, even though so many questions would still remain.

* * *

AN: Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows...it really helps me to know that there is a reason to keep posting :)


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